1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a pre-fabricated shower pan, with a drain hole, for installation in a shower stall. In particular, the invention relates to a novel, customized shower base with an acrylic-based solid surface top which incorporates the mold used in its construction.
2. Background Information
There are various types of shower pans and shower stall panels available for purchase and installation in the bathrooms of new or renovated residences or other types of buildings. A contractor or homeowner ordinarily blocks out shower measurements during construction and later installs a shower pan and finishes shower walls. The walls of the shower may be pre-fabricated or the homeowner, contractor or subcontractor may, for example, install back boards and tile the walls, or he or she may install natural or cultured synthetic marble shower walls. Similarly, the bottom of the shower may be made of tile, marble, etc. in the house by the subcontractor, or it may be custom-built to the contractor's specifications and shipped or carried to the house.
Contractors and homeowners often custom order a shower pan according to the specifications in the particular home under construction. The contractors/homeowners provide specific length and width measurements, as well as a measurement for the position of the drain hole in the shower pan, for customized pre-fabrication of the shower pan. Most shower pans cannot be made in a standardized manner because each bathroom under construction has its peculiarities. Often, for example, the drain hole must be placed off-center because of the location of joists and pipes in that particular bathroom. The shower pan must be properly graded to slope down toward the drainhole, which is made more difficult by an off-center drainhole.
Presently, shower pans are frequently built using large wooden molds, which are relatively expensive to build and which are difficult to adapt to each new set of specifications. The present shower pan can be custom built without a separate mold. This is because a support system is built into the shower pan of the present invention. The result is a one-piece, relatively lightweight, durable shower pan which is easy to ship. Presently available custom-built shower pans often have bowing toward the center of several of the four edges, leaving a bow-shaped space to be filled in by the contractor (or homeowner) installing the shower panels. Another frequent problem for the on-site contractor is that one side of presently available pans is often slightly lower than the other. When a shower panel is inserted along the edge of such a pan, a gap is left at the top of the shower panel. The on-site contractor must spend extra time filling in these gaps. With the shower pan of the present invention, bowing and gaps are virtually eliminated because these pans are easier to shape and can be consistently manufactured. Even where the drain hole is off-center, the surface of the present shower pan is properly and easily graded so that water flows to the drain hole when the pan is installed.
Once they are built, many currently available shower pans are difficult to clean. Mold and mildew collect in shower stalls and the gray-green stains they leave are often difficult to remove. Residue from hard water can present a more challenging cleaning problem because the residue collects in the shower pan and attracts dirt.
The shower pan of the present invention is easy to clean, and it collects less dirt, mold and mildew. The surface of the present shower pan can also be sanded periodically by the user, producing a clean, like-new surface. The present shower pan is water repellent, capable of supporting body weight, and it should last for years. During manufacture, no reusable base mold is needed. The manufacturing process for the present shower pan, which includes thermoforming an acrylic-based solid surface to the top, is less time consuming and more sensitive to manufacturing specifications.